“I think he’s ready. Maybe he’s waiting for me,” said Iya Villania when asked what was keeping her and TV host Drew Arellano, her boyfriend of eight years, from finally tying the knot.

“We’re happy where we are right now. Drew is in his 30s … He’s really patient with me. When the time is right, we’ll know it,” Iya said during a recent media gathering to launch her and singer-actress Nikki Gil as the newest endorsers of Bioessence’s Skin and Slimming Spa.

“It’s a happy relationship,” Iya added. “We’re glad that unlike other showbiz couples, we’re not bombarded with intrigues. We get off easy compared to Oyo [Sotto] and Kristine [Hermosa], or Rayver [Cruz] and Cristine [Reyes].”

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Iya said she gets to spend quality time with Drew at the gym. “We do core kinesis and circuit training together. We also run whenever we get the chance,” said the Kapamilya network star.

“Drew and I seldom go to bars because we don’t drink. We keep to ourselves, although we also have fun. We enjoy trying out new restaurants.”

During her chat with Inquirer Entertainment, Iya gamely shared her secret to a lasting relationship, how she copes with having a boyfriend working at a rival station and her plans to revive her singing career.

Relationships in showbiz are fleeting. How do you and Drew manage to stay together?

The secret is trust. We believe in what we have. You also need patience and a lot of understanding. We hardly fight anymore. I used to hate it that he gets grumpy when he’s tired or hungry, but I’ve learned how to deal with it. It’s no longer a problem for me.

Is he strict with you?

Drew lets me do what I want. That’s what I love about him. He lets me be my own person.

How do you cope with the fact that you work in two different TV stations?

It’s never been a problem. Even if we were in one station, we’d still have different shows and different schedules. I can always go to his studio when I have the time. Drew comes to visit me on the set of my morning show [“Umagang Kay Ganda”] every so often.

Didn’t you ever consider moving to GMA 7 so you and Drew could be together?

I used to be with GMA 7. I also went through the dilemma of whether to stay or transfer to ABS-CBN. On my end, I never forced Drew to follow me to my current network. I always tell him to go wherever he sees more opportunities.

Have you had offers from other stations?

There was one two years ago, when my contract at ABS-CBN was up for renewal. But my Kapamilya bosses gave me a good reason to stay, and that was my incentive. Just when I thought hindi na ako kailangan, they made me feel really wanted.

Are you really quitting singing to concentrate on hosting and acting?

Singing is something I still want to pursue. It’s my first love. I released my debut album, “Finally,” in 2009. However, I wasn’t very hands-on when I recorded it. Everything was dictated by the record company. With my next album, I’d like to be in control. I’m considering producing it on my own—if that’s what it takes to make my dream come true.